Shimokitazawa had been known as a luxury residential area in the outskirts of Tokyo before the Second World War because of the convenience for commuting from/to Shinjuku and Shibuya just in 5-7 minutes by train. After the war, chaotic urbanization centering on Shimokitazawa Station proceeded, so the narrow back streets, barely wide enough for one car to pass, run here and there across the area. Several small theaters, clubs with live music, secondhand clothes shops, restaurants, bars and the like line up along these narrow streets in a disorderly manner. They are all for the youth as some universities stand in the vicinity and Harajuku and Shibuya, well-known hustle and bustle area for the youth, are also lying within several minutes by train. Unlike Harajuku and Shibuya, however, Shimokitazawa is a casual area with less expensive commercial facilities for young connoisseurs for the latest fashionable way of living. Hence, Shimokitazawa has come to be called a place of transmission of Japan’s subculture.
Jason Hardy
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